


Dry Bones

by undernightlight



Series: 2020 Writing Challenge [4]
Category: Criminal Minds (US TV)
Genre: Canon-Typical Violence
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-02-07
Updated: 2020-02-07
Packaged: 2021-02-27 21:21:46
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 584
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/22592449
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undernightlight/pseuds/undernightlight
Summary: The BAU team break into their suspected unsub's house.
Series: 2020 Writing Challenge [4]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1603210
Kudos: 6





	Dry Bones

**Author's Note:**

> Short, but I like it. I'm trying to work more on description, and of course ultimately, striking a balance between description, action and dialogue that I really like, but one step at a time.
> 
> Hope you enjoy :)

Luke held firm again the door frame, and looked across to Emily. She nodded to him in confirmation as he stepped around in front and kicked out. His boot hit the door like lead weight, the lock broke, the wood splintered at the frame, and it swung open. Guns raised and braised, they entered, Matt following behind. Seconds later they heard the back door smash down, and Spencer and JJ were in.

Scoping out each room took time - it was a big house - and only after that could they really look at each room properly, taking in the surroundings.

Luke stood in a bedroom and the sheets were stained and caked in blood. There was a small remaining puddle sunk in the centre of the bed, thick and dark, which the sheets around were stained varying shades of red. Pushing out past the red were light outlines in brown, faded and old; the sheets must’ve been washed a half dozen times, each new victim leaving their mark against the tacky floral pattern. The windows were blacked out with smeared paint, a few layers to be sure, the curtains torn to half their height yet still hung at the side in place. And it stank like rot, like decay and death, and Luke was finding it hard to stomach. Emily had left and stood in the hallway, the walls lined with framed photos of their victims, posed and bound in place.

In the bathroom, Matt took up most of the room. The shower was dirty, the glass separator streaky and the grout between the tiles discoloured. He opened the cabinet above the sink and was met with bottles of liquid next to syringes and orange bottles with white caps. Some bottles were full when he picked them up, others empty. And there was a range of medication, sedatives and antidepressants and anxiety meds, all with a range of names on the label.

Downstairs, in the basement, JJ found where he worked. It was dark and damp, poorly lit with only a few uncovered bulbs hanging from the ceiling. In the centre was a table, a heavy wooden slab with drilled in legs, with leather straps to tie the ankles and wrists, arms and legs, torso and head. To the side, his studio. There was a chesterfield sofa placed against a cloth backdrop of a garden, old English style arrangements and architecture visible. It was cheap. 

Spencer was upstairs in the living room-kitchen, walking around the space only slightly, but it was hard to focus on anything else once he noticed the bones. Instead of curtains, hung from above the window, were bones hung on string. When he got closer, he could see they were dried out, holes drilled in the ends to hang them from. And there was a variety - femurs, a humerus, ulnas, some ribs, a jaw - all hung, displayed like trophies, trinkets to be proud of. Most likely, they each came from different victims. 

There was no doubt now that they’d found the right man. The problem was that the house was empty, his bank accounts were dry, and they had no idea where he could be going. The thought of losing him, letting him escape when they were so close, and where he could possibly just move to another town and start this all up again, made them all nauseous.

They knew they couldn’t let him get away, and they would do everything in their power to out this psychopath behind bars.


End file.
